Casa Susegad

Enjoy all of the luxuries, privileges and comfort of a magnificent 17th century residence. Casa Susegad is a restored colonial mansion house in the village of Loutolim in South Goa. Set in one and a half acres of grounds, they are surrounded by forest and jungle in a quiet corner of the village.

It can variously be described as a boutique hotel, a heritage guest house or simply the perfect place to relax. With only 5 guest suites, they are able to offer a very individual service to each of our guests.

Lie back on the 4ft wide sunbeds, listen to the birds, laugh at the antics of the long tailed langurs, stroke a dog or two and watch the swaying of the palm trees, all whilst sipping your favourite cocktail (or a good old cup of tea).

Three of the five bedrooms at Casa Susegad are named after semi-precious stones, and the room colours reflect this. Samples of each stone can be found in decorative floor borders in each room.

Rooms are spacious and well appointed, with en-suite facilities of a very high standard, a/c in 3 rooms, deep sprung mattresses and every comfort. Each room opens out onto its own terrace area with granite topped table, comfy chairs and canopy cover if needed.

The Rose Room (A/C)
Rose quartz is the stone of unconditional love and infinite peace. It brings deep inner healing, is calming, reassuring and excellent for use in trauma or crisis. Rose quartz draws off negative energy, strengthens empathy and sensitivity and aids the acceptance of necessary change.

The Carnelian Room (A/C)
The gemstone carnelian is a dark orange in colour. Amongst its healing properties it helps to overcome negative conditioning, restoring vitality and stimulating creativity. Mentally, carnelian improves analytic abilities and clarifies perception. The Carnelian room can take one extra bed.

The Turquoise Room (A/C)
Turquoise is a most efficient healer and is also used as a protective stone, having been used for amulets since time immemorial. It instils inner calm, while remaining alert, stabilises mood swings and is an excellent stone for exhaustion, depression and panic attacks.

The Sunshine Room
The Sunshine Room is named for its warm, calm and romantic atmosphere. It is a very large room, open to the rafters, and has no air conditioning, relying instead on the design of the room to keep air flowing freely for comfort all year round. The Sunshine Room can take 2 extra beds (3 at a pinch).

The Host's Suite
The large hosts' suite is available by negotiation as part of a whole house let and is also open to the rafters.

There is wide variety of home made preserves with local bread (toasted or plain), the own home made muesli, fresh fruits, curd and a range of eggs, pancakes and other dishes. They now feature special Goan or Indian dishes most mornings if guests wish to experiment.

Lunch at home is usually home made soups and/or wonderful fresh salads or traditional Fish, Curry and Rice, all of which may be followed by a fresh fruit platter.

Usually at around 8pm, your four course dinner can be taken al fresco- lit by candles on your own terrace, or formally in our sumptuous dining room. Occasionally guests choose to take dinner in front of a movie or their favourite TV programme in the lounge.

If you want to explore more of what Goa has to offer, they would like to recommend the following as a starting point for consideration. The list is by no means exhaustive.

They can arrange a car and driver for the day. Places to visit include:

• Beaches within 30 minutes - Colva, Majorda, Utorda and other, smaller, beaches along the mid-south coastline
• Beaches further south - approx 1 hour, include Agonda, Palolem and Patnem
• Margao and Ponda, the local market towns, are each 15-20 minutes away; Margao toward the coast and Ponda inland
• Around Ponda there are many old Hindu Temples and Spice Plantations. At Sahakari Spice Plantation it is possible to enjoy a tour and organic lunch and then have an encounter with Ganga - probably the cleanest elephant in India!
• Betty's Boats offer a highly recommended day out in the River Sal. Pre - booking is essential and you will need to depart Casa Susegad at about 8.30 am for the 1 hour drive to the boat's departure point
• Panjim, the state capital, is on the Mandovi River, about 45 minutes north of Loutolim. A slightly longer, inland, route to Panjim will take you there via Old Goa, where you can visit Se Cathedral and the Basillica of Bom Jesus where the body of St. Francis Xavier is still on display in a glass sided coffin!
• Another 20-30 minutes north of Panjim will take you to the highly developed north Goan beaches! - lots and lots of shopping, bars, restaurants, big buildings and tourists by the ton.
• Arpora Night Market (Saturday night) and Anjuna Flea, Market (Wednesday, all day) are among some of the more (in) famous North Goan experiences
• Local Heritage Houses - A few of the more important Heritage Houses allow visitors. Palacio do Deao in Quepem, the Braganza House in Chandor and the Figuerda Mansion here in Loutolim are our favourites.
• Visit with a local artist, "Conversations," in Loutolim and spend a day (or 2) learning how to work in coconut shell and wood, enhancing your pottery skills or enjoying any one of many other "hands on " experiences.
• Take a day out to go fishing in his (near-bye) village, Isla de Rachol, on the Zuari River.
• If you would like to spend time with our cooks they will be happy to share some of their favourite Goan recipes with you. Perhaps combine this with a visit to the main Margao fish market to choose your dinner first.
• Spend time with Carole designing and, if you want, making your own jewellery. Ask to see her comprehensive collection of semi-precious stones, sterling silver beads and fixings.
• Visit the cultural and historical centre, Big Foot, here in the village (about 15 minutes walk away). Very quaint and informative.
• Explore the relationship between pleasure and pain by either (for men) having a shave and head massage with one of the village barbers or (for women) booking a threading and/or waxing treatments at a local salon.
• Pamper yourself with a rejuvenating and stress relieving massage. Depending upon your preference we can call a masseur/masseuse to Casa Susegad or we can arrange for an appointment at a spa or Ayurvedic centre nearby.
• Visit the village mill (less than 10 minutes walk) and watch grain being milled or coconut flesh pressed for oil the old fashioned way. If we have coconut flesh dried and ready, you can even press your own oil.

The animals are very much a part of life at Casa Susegad and they have been told by many guests just how much they have enhanced their stay with us, most folk leaving with a firm favourite.
Although six dogs and six cats may seem a lot, they do live on one and a half acres, so they have a lot of space to fill.

Ecology: The well water has been certified as perfectly clean and pollutant free. This is pumped to the header tanks at the topmost terrace at the rear of the property and in turn gives great water pressure to all of the house bathrooms. Hot water reaches your bathroom via solar panel heated tanks.